Moonsighting for Sha'ban 1444
1444 AH
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Al urjoonul qadeem of Rajab 1444: February 20 and February 19, 2023

MCW member Dr Abdul Gafar, Kozhikhode, mentioned: Please see attached pictures of waning crescent from Kozhikode, Kerala, India at 6.17am on Feb 18, 2023. Click on the photo to see full size.

MCW member Dr Javad Torabinejad mentioned: in the morning (Saturday, February 18, 2023), the waning crescent moon was sighted in Blacksburg, VA. I saw it with naked eye. The horns were approximately at 6:00 and 11:00 O'clock (6:00;8:30;11:00). Click on the photo to see full size.

MCW member Mohammed Hussain, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu mntioned: Enclosed is photo of Urjoonul Qadeem taken today Sunday 29th of Rajab 1444 (19th February 2023). Lat. 8�43'36.3"N and Long. 77�45'22.9", Time 6:03 am IST. The Altitude was around 6� and horns were at 5 & 11 O'Clock Click on the photo to see full size.

New Crescent Moon of Sha'ban 1444:
The Astronomical New Moon (conjunction) is on February 20, 2023 (Monday) at 7:06 UT.
On February 20, the moon may be seen with difficulty in Western parts of USA, but easily in Polynesian Islands. On February 21, the moon can be seen in the whole world (See visibility curves).

The earliest reported sighting of the new crescent was on February 20 from California, USA.

February 20, 2023 (Monday):

  • Chile:


    1. Not Seen: MCW member Muhammad Sohail from Iquique reported: On Feb 20, the new moon is not sighted in Chile, so the month of Shaban will start on Wednesday 22/02/2023.

  • Grenada:


    1. Not Seen: MCW member Farid Patel from Greneda reported: Moon was not sighted to begin month of shawwal in Grenada or in region on February 20. 2023.

  • South Africa:


    1. Not Seen: MCW member Rashid Motala from Durban reported: On the evening of Monday 20 February 2023, the Hilaal was NOT sighted in South Africa. Therefore Sha'baan 1444 will commence on Wednesday, 22 February 2023 in South Africa.

    2. Not Seen: MCW member Keeka, Mohamed Iqbal, Pretoria reported: The Hilaal for Sha'baan 1444 was NOT sighted in South Africa this evening (Monday, 20 February 2023), hence the month of Sha'baan 1444 will begin after Maghrib on Tuesday evening, 21 February 2023.

  • USA:


    1. Seen with Binoculars: MCW member Norm Vargas from Mount Wilson CA reported: The sighting of the crescent moon for February 20, 2023 was attempted from Mount Wilson Observatory, CA, but an increasingly dark wedge of clouds arrived from the north at exactly the time the crescent needed to be spotted. Venus was spotted at 5:46 local time, soon after sunset. I waited until a slightly thinner gap in the clouds appeared low to the horizon and spotted a thin white line for a few seconds in the gap with 7x50 binoculars. I quickly looked in a spotting scope, but the view was dim. By the time I looked back with binoculars it was gone. The position and orientation of the part of the arc I could see was correct for the crescent moon, but I never saw the full arc. The time was 6:26 and the moon elevation was 0�. My local horizon is about -1.5� over the low parts of the distant horizon. I would call this a probable sighting with binoculars, but never naked eye. Temperature was 50� F and humidity was 50%.

    2. Seen: Council of Shia Muslim Scholars in North America announced: The Moon-Sighting Committee of the Council of Shia Muslim Scholars of North America announces that the crescent moon was confirmed to be sighted by the naked eye in San Diego, California at sunset on Monday, February 20th, 2023.

    3. Seen: Kazim Mamdani reported: Kazim Mamdani, Abbas Mamdani and Zohair Mamdani saw the crescent moon by naked eye for the month of Shabaan. We saw it on the Monday evening, 2/20/23 at 5:55 pm at Mount Laguna, CA, a suburb of San Diego, CA. The orientation of the crescent was at 1 and 7 O'Clock. We saw it with binoculars at 5:45 pm and then at 5:55 we saw it with naked eye.

February 21, 2023 (Tuesday):

  • Afghanistan:

    1. Seen: MCW member Engr M Ibrahim Mayar from Kabul reported: Today,Tuesday, 21 st of February, 2023, after sunset at 6:03 PM local time, the Hilal of Shabaan 1444 was sighted with naked eyes, Azimuth 70.8� W; Altitude 13.2� and the crescent horns were from 3 to 9 O'clock.

  • Albania:


    1. Seen: MCW member Ebu Xhunejd (Ledjo Hyka) from Tirana reported: We sighted the new moon all over the country and in Kosovo too, just 10 minutes after sunset. So, tomorrow is 1st Sha'ban 1444.

  • Australia:


    1. Seen: MCW member Dr Shabbir Ahmed, President of Qubaa association of Western Sydney, NSW reported: Today (Tuesday) 21st of February 2023, the Hilal of Sha�baan 1444 has been sighted in Brisbane. Therefore, the month of Sha�baan 1444 will begin from Wednesday, 22nd of February 2023.

    2. Seen: MCW member Abul Qasim Rizvi, Imam Juma Melbourne reported: Crescent of the month of Sha�ban 1444 AH has been sighted in Melbourne Australia, on Tuesday 21st February 2023.

  • Egypt:


    1. Seen: MCW member Dr Hisham M. Hamed from Cairo reported: Tonight, Tuesday, February 21st, 2023, a friend of mine and I attempted to observe the Moon from Maadi, South Cairo (29.60�N, 32.25�E). Apparent Sunset was at 17:44:18, but there was no sign of the moon right after the Adhan had finished. Best time was at 18:22:04. We first spotted the Hilal, roughly directly below Venus, on our way back from Maghreb prayers, at 18:19. Visibility was good. The Bent pyramid of Dahshour, 19.6 km away, was barely visible, but visible nevertheless. Pressure, temperature and relative humdity were 1019.0mb, 19.0�C, 51.0% respectively. The apparent lunar altitude was ~9�, and the apparent arc of vision was 17.6�.

  • India:


    1. Seen: MCW member Rasheed Usman, from Kozhikode, Kerala reported: The hilal of Sha'aban has been sighted in Kozhikode Kerala today Tuesday evening 21st February 2023. Qazis of the State declared tomorrow Wednesday as Sha'aban 1.

    2. Seen: MCW member Zaid Duch from Nadiad, Gujrat reported: I, Zaid Duch, sighted the crescent moon (Hilal) of 1st day of Shaban 1444; today on Tuesday, 21st of February 2023 (29 Rajab 1444); at location Navi Masjid,Nadiad,Gujarat, India. The Crescent moon was sighted with a naked eye at 18:40 and was visible till 19:41 with binocular.

    3. Seen: MCW member Md Ohidullah from Birbhum, West Bengal reported: Today's Evening (Tuesday) 21st of February 2023AD, The Crescent moon of Shawwal 1442AH was sighted in Kolkata of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Mumbai in INDIA. Also, NAKHODA MOSJID ROOYAT-E-HILAL COMMITTEE of Kolkata, DARUL QUAZA IMARAT SHARIAH, JAMIATE AHLE HADEES MUMBAI have declared that tomorrow, Wednesday 22nd February will be the 1st of SHA'BAN 1444AH.

  • Mauritius:


    1. Seen: MCW member Nissar Ahmad Ramtoola from Port Louis reported: The new moon was easily sighted tonight Tuesday 21 February at many localities in Mauritius. Hence Wednesday 22 February 2023 will be the 1st day of Shabaan 1444. The sky was mostly clear. First reported visibility was from Chapman Hill at 6.47 pm. Sunset was at 6.43pm

  • Sri Lanka:


    1. Seen: Shafraz Macksood from Colombo reported: On Feb 21, 2023, the Crescent of Sha'ban 1444H, along with Venus and Jupitor aligned in the Ecliptic line in the Western sky of Colombo, was sighted with the naked eye around 6.38 pm 16 mins after sunset from Colombo by me.

  • USA:


    1. Seen: Mahdavia Rui�yat e Hilal in North America announced: Hilal of Shaban 1444H has been sighted with Naked eyes on February 21 (the 29th of Rajab) by our Shahideen ( Moon Sighting Volunteers) who gave their Shahdat (Testimony on oath)

    2. Seen: MCW member Dr Javad Torabinejad from Blacksburg VA reported: Today (Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023), the crescent moon was sighted in Blacksburg, VA (Lat: 37� 15' 40" N, Lng: 80� 26' 56" W, and elevation: 646 meters). Earlier in the day at 1:49 pm EST, using a pair of binocular (7X50), I looked for the moon. My binocular sighting was at 1:52 pm followed by naked eye sighting at 2:00 pm. The horns were at 2:00 and 5:30 o'clock (2:00;3:30;5:30); this determination was with binoculars only as the moon was not clearly visible with naked eye. Later in the day, I went for an evening sighting. I arrived at my sighting location at 5:46 pm EST (Apparent sunset: 6:04 pm, setting behind distant trees). The western horizon was mostly clear and hazy. Using a pair of binoculars (7X50), I scanned the horizon. This time, I sighted the crescent moon first at 5:48 pm and then Venus. My first naked eye sighting was 5:50 pm. Venus and Jupiter were seen with the binoculars at 5:53 pm and 6:11 pm, respectively. The naked eye sighting of them were respectively at 5:56 pm and 6:21 pm. I left the sighting location well before the moonset (moonset: 7:58 pm). At 5:55 pm, the temperature, dew point, relative humidity, and pressure were 58.0 F, 28.0 F, 31%, and 29.84 in, respectively.

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